but in the real world, the short-term world, all of us and our elected officials find it hard to turn away from the plight of those whose jobs are threatened by competition from abroad, no matter how fair that competition. for "economics usa" this is david schoumacher. annenberg media ♪ annenberg media ♪ gold was the standard agait which most of the world valued its currency. why would the united states break from the gold standard in 1933? in 1944, world leaders designed a blueprint for a new international monetary order, a plan dependent upon the strength of the american dollar. what led to the collapse of the heralded bretton woods agreements?